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OFFENSE: Squad looks to be more explosive

RomanWilson_vsHarvard_MerrillFabry
RomanWilson_vsHarvard_MerrillFabry

With its first game fast approaching, the Tiger football team looks to add explosive potential to its fast-paced offense. However, the question of who will start under center still remains.

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While the team refuses to comment on the quarterback situation until after its first game in order to preserve a strategic advantage, it is likely to again rely on multiple quarterbacks to run its offense.

“Especially when we have a guy who’s athletic competing against a guy who’s more of a classic drop-back passer,” head coach Bob Surace ’90 said. “At this level, sometimes that allows you to add more scheme to your system.”

The Tigers return junior quarterbacks Connor Michelsen and Quinn Epperly, who split the majority of snaps last season. However, after both quarterbacks were injured in the win at Yale, sophomore quarterback Kedric Bostic showed that he could perform in real game situations. The team also added freshman quarterback Chad Kanoff to the roster this year after the rookie decommitted from Vanderbilt. With so many options, it is unlikely that the Tigers will stick to a strict one-quarterback offense this season.

“That whole group has worked really hard, and we’ve really been impressed,” Surace added. “The young guys are developing. They work hard and compete against each other but … they’re supporting each other, and it’s really a unique dynamic in a lot of ways.”

Joining whomever starts as quarterback in the backfield will be returning junior tailback Will Powers, who averaged 65.9 all purpose yards per game last season as well as a 4.0 yards per rush average, senior Brian Mills who will return to the running back position this season after being moved to defensive back at the beginning of last season and sophomore running backs DiAndre Atwater and Dre Nelson.

“I think that it’s a good thing — the way we run our offense and the tempo — to have multiple guys who can play in the backfield,” Surace said.

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However, all four will also be expected to contribute on special teams.

“Will is probably, if he’s not our best special teams player he’s one of the top two or three, and having depth at that position allows us to put him in a position where he is an excellent player,” Surace said. “We may reduce his role a little bit as runner but hopefully not too much because I think he’s strong enough to handle at least occasionally a big load.”

Powers was second on the team last season in kick returns, behind sophomore cornerback Anthony Gaffney, averaging 20.2 yards per return.

Returning on the offensive line to protect them will be senior center Joe Goss, senior guard Max Coale, junior tackle Spencer Huston, junior guard Joe Tull and junior tackle Jack Woodall, who did not play at the end of last season due to a foot injury. Junior lineman Mike Ramos and sophomore tackle Britt Colcolough, who each took about 20 snaps a game last year, will also return on the offensive line.

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“I think the level of experience will help our offense tremendously. With that experience comes confidence in yourself and the offense as a unit,” Mills said. “I think that confidence in each other and with the plays will allow us to be even more explosive as an offense, and as a team, than we were last season.”

With veterans in the backfield and experienced pass protectors, it will be the explosive plays that the Tigers look to improve upon in order to set them apart this season.

“You can have 120 good plays [in a game compared] to their 80 but if within their 80, they’ve got three 60-yarders, which [Lehigh’s] been getting close to three 50-to-60 yarders per game, that’s hard to overcome,” Surace said.

In order to do so, the Tigers will rely on a proven and established receiving core.

“The strength of our group right now is our wide receivers,” Surace said. “Those four, [junior] Seth Devalve, [junior] Matt Costello, [junior] Connor Kelley and [senior] Roman Wilson, all had different points in the year that were highlights for them. Roman is a returning all-Ivy League. They are four unbelievably tremendous workers, and I think they’ve been really sharp throughout the spring practices and now training camp.”

The Tigers will open their season on Powers Field, hosting Lehigh on Saturday at 6 p.m., the only one of their home games to take place in the evening this year. The game will also air on NBC Sports Network.